Maharishi was teaching this meditation for free for several years before residing in Hollywood and starting to charge for it simple meditation instruction. I doubt anyone back in India in those days would have paid to be given a mantra and a little advice on how to bring the mind to a state of restful alertness.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Premanand" <premanandpaul@> wrote: > > > > Turquoise, whilst I continue to practice transcendental > > meditation regularly, I can't help but wholeheartedly > > agree with what you say in this posting. There is no value > > in blaming others for what Maharishi himself instituted. I > > agree that those who find value in this meditation, and wish > > to teach it, should just get on with it, as Maharishi himself > > did. I am glad to hear that you consider TM unsellable, perhaps > > now people will revert to sharing it without asking payment. > > While I understand what you're trying to say, > I hardly think that me considering TM unsellable > is going to convince anyone else of that. :-) I > do not delude myself into thinking that I have > the level of influence that those who spend their > lives stalking and trying to demonize me seem to > think I have. > > But as for teaching meditation for free, I'm with > you all the way. I taught TM, and I taught meditation > in other contexts, always for free, and in fact paying > for all the teaching expenses myself. I think the > latter approach is better for all concerned. No one > should ever make a profit by sharing something this > essentially free. History teaches us that those who > try *to* profit from it never do, and always lose > karmically, as do their students. > > You don't "give back to the world" by charging for it. > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "dhamiltony2k5" <dhamiltony2k5@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Two points on this. > > > > > 1. The 30th anniversary was actually last summer. I guess the > > > > > idea just came up. > > > > > 2. None of the people mentioned below have actual Doctorate > > > > > degrees. > > > > > > > > The idea just came up? > > > > > > > > Naw,take a look. He is trying to save his job and his > > > > relevance in the middle of the TMmovement today. > > > > > > That is to say, "maintain his relevance in a > > > spiritual movement that has rendered itself > > > completely irrelevant." > > > > > > NO ONE CARES about TM or the TM movement > > > other than people who are trying to protect > > > their images of it and their own self-importance > > > within it. It has no effect on society as a > > > whole, and hasn't in decades. And neither have > > > they, except in the limited sense that they can > > > preserve the illusion of being "big fish in a > > > small pond." > > > > > > I find this "celebration" more than a little sad > > > not because they're parading a group of non-Ph.D.s > > > posing as Ph.D.s as if they were important, but > > > because the *only* thing they can think of *as* > > > important is something they were peripherally > > > involved in 30 years ago. As noted before, you > > > know your best days are behind you when you have > > > to look into the past to find your inspiration. > > > > > > > Look who he's invited to be with him while folks like > > > > DLynch, Roth, hagelin and others are out on the road teaching > > > > meditation. It's the old Bevan gang. While the others are > > > > out doing the work of the modern TMmovement. > > > > > > Doug, while on one level I appreciate your desire > > > to find Bad Guys in all of this, and find someone > > > to blame for the irrelevance of the TM movement, > > > it's not Bevan. It's Maharishi. > > > > > > *He* priced TM out of the market. *He* made it into > > > something that even the rich wouldn't be interested > > > in by cross-dressing his fanatical toadies in dresses > > > and crowns. *He* rendered a passable and sometimes > > > useful technique of meditation unsellable and unmar- > > > ketable by associating it with infinite amounts of > > > Woo Woo, money-grubbing, dogma, and elitism. *He* > > > allowed or orchestrated most of the shitty things > > > done to TMers and TM teachers who were ostracized > > > for being Off The Program. > > > > > > *Maharishi* brought down the TM movement, not Bevan. > > > > > > He *personified* his own teaching about the "tragedy > > > of knowledge" and ensured the irrelevance of TM and > > > the TM movement by divorcing it from its own roots > > > in simple, humble daily meditation, trying to shift > > > the emphasis to taking credit for everything good > > > while taking no responsibility for anything bad. > > > > > > While I respect your dream that someday the TMO will > > > return to its roots and get back to teaching literally > > > the only good thing it ever had to offer -- the basic > > > TM technique -- it's never going to happen. Those days > > > are as lost in the past as the events this "celebration" > > > are trying to celebrate. > > > > > > The TM movement *cannot* change. It *cannot* revert to > > > "better days" because Maharishi himself made that > > > impossible. He was the master of ostracizing and demon- > > > izing "outmoded thinking." People were trained to not > > > only not cling to Last Year's Big Idea, they were > > > trained to *forget* it ever existed, and focus only > > > on This Year's Big Idea. And now that there are no more > > > Big Ideas, the most they can focus on is the last Big > > > Idea he told them to follow, and the "glorious past." > > > > > > With all due respect, that's what you're doing as well. > > > You'd like to see a return to these "brighter days," in > > > which both TM and the TM movement had some relevance -- > > > to the world and to you. Not gonna happen. It *cannot* > > > because Maharishi carefully made going against his > > > latest Big Ideas the highest crime, punishable by > > > excommunication and demonization. > > > > > > Don't sign on as a full-time TM teacher when told to? > > > You're no longer a TM teacher. Don't do *exactly* what > > > Maharishi told you to do when trying to implement one > > > of his Big Ideas, ludicrous though it may be? You're > > > history. > > > > > > You're history. Anyone who reveres the "good old days" > > > is history. You have no place in the "modern TM move- > > > ment." Which, if you look at it properly, is probably > > > a favor, because the modern TM movement has no place > > > in the modern world. > > > > > > If you like the idea of teaching basic meditation, go > > > out and teach basic meditation and let these holy-ego- > > > rollers roll around in their self importance. Don't > > > try to blame *them* for still being caught up in trying > > > to become the biggest fish in an ever-shrinking pond. > > > They were *taught* to do this. Ferchrissakes, Maharishi > > > spent his last few days trying to get people to do it > > > *more than ever*, pulling a King Lear and pitting Raja > > > against Raja to see who would pony up the most money > > > to "erect" fuckin' Maharishi Phalluses Of Enlightenment. > > > > > > *That* is where wanting to be a big fish in a small pond > > > leads one. Maharishi died essentially acting out one of > > > the greatest tragedies in human history, King Lear. Do > > > you really want to go that route yourself? > > > > > > Let the dead go. Let the waters of time carry them away. > > > Don't dive down into the muck and try to cling to the > > > body. The past is dust. Clinging to it only gets you > > > covered with dust yourself. Bevan's not "holding MUM > > > hostage." That's ludicrous. MUMers clinging to the past > > > is what's holding them hostage. > > > > > > Just my two centimes... > > > > > >
